H-1B visa delays causing hardships for families: India flags issue to US

India has formally raised concerns with the United States over prolonged delays and cancellations of pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews, saying the situation has caused significant hardship for Indian professionals and their families.

 

Addressing the issue at a weekly media briefing on Friday, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs (MEA), said the government has received several representations from Indian nationals facing difficulties in scheduling or rescheduling US visa appointments.

 

“There are several people who have been stranded for extended periods of time because of scheduling or rescheduling of consular appointments, and these have also caused a lot of hardships to their families,” Jaiswal said.

 

 

Interviews postponed after new screening rule

The delays follow changes introduced by the US administration earlier this month. From December 15, the United States expanded vetting requirements for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents, including H-4 visas. Applicants for H-1B, F, M and J non-immigrant visas have been instructed to set all social media profiles to public to enable online presence reviews.

 

After the rule took effect, several Indian applicants with interviews scheduled for mid-December received emails from US immigration authorities informing them that their appointments were being postponed, in some cases until May next year, news agency PTI reported.

 

According to a US Embassy spokesperson, “In every visa case, we will take the time necessary to ensure an applicant does not pose a risk to the safety and security of the United States,” adding that visa appointments are shifted as needed based on resource availability.

 

Indians stranded, unable to return to US

Jaiswal said many affected applicants had already travelled to India and are now unable to return to the US because they do not have valid H-1B visas. The delays have disrupted professional commitments and family arrangements.

 

“While visa-related issues pertain to the sovereign domain of any country, we have flagged these issues and our concerns to the US side, both here in New Delhi and in Washington DC,” he said, adding that India remains actively engaged with US authorities to minimise disruptions.

 

Broader overhaul of the H-1B system

The interview delays come amid wider changes to the H-1B visa framework under the Donald Trump–led US administration. Earlier this year, the US increased the fee for first-time H-1B applicants to about $100,000 from around $2,000–$5,000, depending on employer size and other costs.

 

The administration has also announced a shift away from the long-standing random lottery system towards a weighted selection model that gives greater priority to higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers.

 

Indians constitute the largest share of H-1B visa holders, making them the most exposed to these changes as tighter screening and higher costs reshape access to US work visas.